1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for separating an alcohol-containing fuel, i.e., a hydrocarbon based fuel in which an alcohol component is partly mixed, into the alcohol component and the hydrocarbon based fuel. Thus, a reformed gas may be obtained and used as a fuel for a heat engine, such as an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of Related Art
According to a related method, an alcohol-containing fuel is separated by distillation into alcohol and gasoline. However, separation according to the related method requires a distilling device that requires a separate heating device. This results in significant increases in the cost and size of the separation system. Accordingly, it has been difficult to use the fuel obtained by the related method as a fuel for an internal combustion engine, and in particular as fuel for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle.